By Jamie M.

In Ernest Hemingway’s novella the old man and the sea, the main character is an old fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish (marlin) in 84 days. Santiago, the old man, tells his little fishing buddy Manolin that he will go very far out on his next journey. Santiago decides to go out alone rather than take Manolin with him like he usually does. Santiago uses old school fishing technics and a tiny skiff which might account for his recent failure. Santiago also chooses not to bring his own food but instead let the sea supply him. Not only was his idea not to bring food a bad one it could have been his downfall.

Santiago hooks the biggest fish of his career and finds himself in a three-day struggle with the mighty marlin. During which Santiago has no food. He rests when the fish is resting and is always scavenging for food. Santiago wishes "I wish a flying fish would come on board tonight."(66) just about every night he is on the water struggling with the fish. The weird thing is that Santiago talks to the fish as though it was his brother. Santiago knows that he must catch this fish yet he respects it and treats it almost as he would treat another human.

Santiago is no stranger to the sea. He knows how to survive and how to stay somewhat healthy. His understanding of the sea and its organisms are demonstrated in his words "with so much flying fish there should be a dolphin."(71). Sure enough before night fell a dolphin had hooked by the old man. The old man knew this was not only great because he can eat the dolphin but because of his knowledge of the sea he also knew there could easily be flying fish in the stomach. Santiago also knows that the great marlin must be getting tired because it has pulled for about 2 days strait now.

Santiago knows that when the marlin dies it may be easy prey for sharks and other predators. The old man realizes that if a substantial amount of blood is spilled into the water then sharks will undoubtedly come. After the first shark attack the old man sees the negitive and positive if getting his fish bitten. "Every minuet now you are closer to home. You sail lighter for the loss of forty pounds."(104) The sharks do come again and eventually eat away all of Santiago’s fish. When he gets back to his home all the people see the skeleton and they respect the old man once again.

In an adventure or in life in general your survival depends on food. If you don’t have enough then your in trouble. I believe that if Santiago had brought enough food for at least 2 days then he would have got the fish home and eat it. Many other factors could have hlped santiago bring the fish home but I strongly believed that extra food from home would have done him some extreme good.

By Jake B.

In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, one of the main characters, Santiago, encounters many obstacles that impede his goal of catching fish. These obstacles are both physical and mental. All of these obstacles disable him from fulfilling his potential in catching fish.

One of first obstacles is poor equipment. He has a very small wooden skiff. This hinders him from doing any really intense fishing, as the skiff is not sturdy enough. With a sturdier skiff, it would be easier for Santiago to reel in larger and stronger fish. Also, Santiago does not have a fishing rod. Instead, he uses his hands and a string. The string batters Santiago’s hands. If he had a correct fishing rod, it would not scrape is hands. Non scraped hands would give Santiago more endurance while fishing. Better equipment would help Santiago’s fishing experience. Quote-“He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding.”PG.55-56-This quote explains the pain Santiago experiences while out at sea. With better equipment, this would not be an issue.

The next obstacle that Santiago endures is a mental issue. First, he is alone on all of his fishing trips. He used to have a boy that he fished with, but the boys parents stopped allowing him to fish with Santiago. If Santiago had a fishing partner it would boost his confidence nd he would have had more fun. Also, a fishing partner would help him physically as he would not have to do as much work. With rest on the fishing trips, he would have more energy to catch fish during the day. Quote-“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” PG.9- This quote explains that Santiago spends long endless days at sea alone.

The last obstacle Santiago encounters is fatigue. Santiago is at sea much to long. It is hard for Santiago to change this as he stays out at sea for weeks alone. He needs to stay out at sea to survive. Although everyone is generous to Santiago by giving him food and drinks, it is still hard for him to make a living. If Santiago had a somewhat bigger boat, like the size of today’s modern boats, it would be much easier for him to fish. He could leave a line out at sea while he sleeps. This would reduce his fatigue. Quote-“I wish he’d sleep and I could sleep and dream like the lions.”PG.66- This quote explains that Santiago needs a break. He wanted the fish to sleep so he could sleep. If the fish sleep then Santiago can let go and not worry about catching the fish.


If all Santiago’s obstacles were overcome, he would be a much better fisherman and a happier person. There are solutions to Santiago’s obstacles but it will take hard work, determination and knowledge.

By Yong K.

The novella, The Old Man and the Sea is a book that Ernest Hemingway wrote about a old man who goes out to the sea where there are many sharks because he went far out to the sea that no fisherman had gone. His adventure was stunning because he goes through many disasters in a not so commodious boat. In the book The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the fisherman initiates his journey to the sea and he is struck with calamity to catch a giant marlin that no human saw. Santiago sometimes has conversation with the marlin about his suffering and when he goes out fishing, his hand couldn’t ambidextrously use his hands.

The pain that Santiago went through was really disastrous because he had no fishing rack because Santiago was poor and in indigence. Santiago has a conversation with the fish.” Fish, the old man said.” Fish, you are going to have to die anyway, do you have to kill me too?”(92). The quote that is provided above explains that he is going through a lot of pain such as getting his hand cut, sick, and fainting in order to just catch a marlin out in the sea and also to ostentatious to everyone when he goes back to the shore. The quote clearly explains that he is suffering during his far-off journey.

As his journey continues, he suddenly sees sharks smelling the blood of the marlin and are trying to get a piece of the marlin. [Santiago] kills the shark with the knife to keep away from the marlin. The sharks comes and comes and Santiago fights. “ Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I’ll try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller”(112). Santiago gradually gets weaken because of killing many sharks, it showed on the passage that he coughed up blood and fainted. Santiago struggled against powerful force which was the sharks which led him to be sick and it was a calamity and Santiago capitulated. The quote showed that Santiago was struggled with a force that affected him.

As Santiago comes back from a long and tiring journey, he felt weakened and was talking to himself. “He was stiff and sore now and wounds all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night. I hope I do not have to fight again he thought, I hope so much I do not have to fight again”(117). Santiago states this quote because he had suffered a lot and he struggled a lot with sharks and his condition because he was old and many obstacles came after him. Santiago knew it was a harsh journey and he said I wish the boy [Manolin] was with him because he cares for Santiago and it wouldn’t have been a long journey if he had taken the boy with him. It was a long and tiring journey for Santiago.

The Cuban fisherman, Santiago started his journey to the sea and he has nothing with him except for his suffering and powerful forces and obstacles that affected him throughout his journey. It was clearly a calamity in the sea with sharks which he couldn’t surmount. Santiago is the fisherman that went through many disaster things in the sea which he will not forget in his life.

By Wylee M.

Santiago and Manolin are back, for a whirlwind adventure, in the book An Old Man, a Young Man, and the Seaizzle. The two fishermen are working together full time, and are a big success. They become the best of friends, one that seems that will last forever. But with success, comes downfall, and unfortunately bad luck is around the corner. During a celebrating fishing trip, consisting of the old man and the boy, a terrible hurricane strikes and endangers them. Although they are in physical harm, their friendship is the only thing that will save them.

It started off as a celebration boat ride, just Santiago and Manolin. They were celebrating breaking their record of 50 fish in just one week! They were having a great time until a hurricane came and wrecked their boat. When they woke up they were on a mysterious island. At the start of there adventure on the island, Santiago and Manolin’s friendship started strong, but slowly degraded, as their savage instincts kicked in. Not too long after, paranoia began to wiggle in Manolins mind: "Manolin sat on the ground and shakes, softly saying he’s going to kill me, there all going to kill me."(Page 76)As days progressed, Manolins paranoia only got worse and so did their friendship.

They went from enemies to obsessive enemies who watched the other persons every move. Since there friendship was disintegrated and all they could think about was what the other person was doing, and did nothing to try to improve there chance of rescue or any prepare for the future. "The food is running low. In 4 days there will be nothing left thought Santiago" (Page 134). Santiago turns mad (mentally) and when Manolins back is turned, uses a sharp rock and almost slashes Manolin. He realizes what a savage he becomes and realizes he needs to be friends with Manolin if they ever want to get off the island.

After things cooled down, slowly but steadily their friendship strengthened, and in time, it became greater than ever! Since they were best friends, When Manolin and Santiago started acting like friends, hope finally saw the light of day. They stopped hating each other, and started to work off the island. “It’s good that the monsters have left us, and that we can finally unite to get out of here." (Page 178) Every night they started a fire so that maybe a search team would find them. But that didn’t work. With teamwork though, they found more food to last them awhile! One day on the island, there is a terrible storm. Santiago and Manolin hide from it, and survive. When they walk back to the beach they see a dead seaizzle. They come up with an idea to use its skin to make a raft. After many hours of work, and with a strong friendship they made one and sailed off.

Friendship; Friendship is something that we take for granted, and as we saw their friendship is the only thing that mattered for survival on the island, and when it got restored again, Manolin and Santiago finally had a chance to get.

By Tim P.

Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, talks about a very interesting character. It’s the old man named Santiago who faces many struggles and powerful forces throughout the story. He had a very hard time catching the humongous marlin which was larger than his own skiff. Santiago eventually catches it but he goes through many scrambles before he actually gets to see the fishes shiny, purple back.

As Santiago starts his battle with the marlin, he realizes right away that it’s an unusually big fish. It’s a fish of great size and Santiago never had a fish this strong. “Never have I had such a strong fish nor one who acted so strangely” (48). The man is really old and there were times when he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull the large marlin out. There were many times when Santiago wished the boy, Manolin, would be there to help him out and see the giant fish.

Another struggle Santiago faced during his journey was when he got pains and cramps in his body. I don’t know how someone of that age could possibly withstand so much strain on their back holding a fish of that size. Also the old man must’ve experienced a lot of bad cramps on his hands before because he asked his hand how it feels, knowing that it will soon uncramp. ‘“How do you feel, hand?” he asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis’ (58-59). Another thing Santiago experienced was when the line holding the big fish cut his hand and it started to bleed. You can also tell that the old man went through many pains because when he got back home, he went straight to his house and slept for a very long time. The boy understood that the old man went through many struggles and that’s why he left him alone until he slept.

A third struggle the old man went through is the sharks attacking. “It was an hour before the first shark hit him” (100). The sharks came because of the scent of the blood from the huge marlin. Because sharks attack anything and try to eat anything where there’s blood, about ten sharks attacked the marlin, since it was bleeding. Santiago killed about seven or eight of them. To do that, he used a spear, a knife, the till of his boat, a club, and any other weapon he could find in his boat. There was no meat left on the marlin except the bones and the head. Although the people at the village saw that there was no meat on the fish and that it wasn’t worth anything, they still knew that this truly was the biggest fish they’ve seen and that the old man is a very good fisherman.

As you can see, the old man had many physical struggles throughout the story during his journey. He also had mental struggles such as his age and he is always alone so he talks to himself. But because of his fishing experience, he was able to catch the big marlin and bring at least the remains of the biggest fish caught. Those were some examples of Santiago’s struggles.

By Raheem M.

Life is filled with choices. In The Old Man and the Sea Santiago is faced with many difficult ones. Santiago Is a very knowledgeable man but, he made some bad choices while fishing which caused his eighty-five day drought. He usually thinks things through and makes the right decision but when he started having trouble catching fish he began to feel nervous and makes bad decisions. One decision that Santiago made which affected his trip a lot was when he decided to go very far out from shore to attempt to catch a fish. “The old man stared at his lines going straight down into water that was a mile deep” (40).

Santiago impulsively went deeper into the ocean. He felt as though he could not turn back. He told the boy that he was confident that he would catch a fish. I think that the old man was motivated to go out partly because he is Manolin’s role model and he did not want to let the boy down by not catching a fish. He also believes that there will be a lot of fish deep in the sea because it is September, the best fishing month of the year. “[September] The month when they great fish come, anyone can be a fisherman in May” (18).

Another reason the old man made the decision to keep going deeper into the sea was a decision he made because he was desperate for a fish. It was a good idea because he could catch larger fish than those which were close to shore. He was in need of money so he went very far out. The old man should have gone far out, but he had traveled too far. “He looked behind him and saw that no land was visible” (46).

Many bad things came from Santiago’s decision to go out. He was able to hook the marlin but he had to struggle with it for a very long time. He grew tired and weak. Santiago began to loose hope when the marlin was being taken by the sharks. The old man began to doubt himself. “You’re tired old man, you’re tired inside” (112). Also, if Santiago had not gone out so far he would probably still have been able to catch a large fish without as much risk of being attacked by the sharks. If Santiago did stay closer to the shore and was having trouble catching his fish he could have received assistance from a nearby fisherman.

Santiago was faced with many difficult choices in The Old Man and the Sea. One that had a very large impact on him was the decision to go deep into the sea. Santiago’s trip could have been less dangerous and painful if he had stayed closer to shore. His decision put a great deal of physical and mental strain on him However, Santiago was courageous and decided that he had to go far out to catch the perfect fish. His choice was bold but perilous and he returned from his journey weaker, but he was proud of himself for persevering.

By Patrick D.

In the classic story by Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is faced with many struggles in his ongoing battle with the giant marlin. Obviously the largest and main obstacle Santiago must overcome is defeating the giant marlin. While doing this, he must battle with demons within himself. Not only these, but Santiago must return home through the shark infested bay area.

For three days and nights, Santiago battles the greatest marlin the world has ever seen. The battle is torture: Santiago must fight with mangled hands, an insurmountable hunger, thirst, unimaginable narcolepsy, and the constant turmoil within himself of whether or not to let the fish. Throughout the struggle, Santiago’s hands become wounded and morph into nothing more than bloody stubs desperately clinging to a sharp fishing wire. Santiago knows he must defeat the marlin, however; the fish is the only thing that may keep Santiago from death. The money and food it would bring him would keep him healthy for months. His will of iron is the only thing that keeps him alive during this agonizing battle: “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) The man’s pride is what wins him the fish; once Santiago has caught a fish, especially at this point in his life, he will not let it free: “You did not kill the fish only to sell or keep for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman.”(54)

Santiago has many inner feelings and demons inside himself, including his affection for the local boy, Manolin. Santiago chose not to bring the boy on this day’s trip, and he began to regret it shortly thereafter. “I wish I had the boy” (45) is obviously quite a blunt quote, showing his need for Manolin, but there are other references within the book that Santiago needs or wants the boy. The old man, hence the title given to him by the author, is getting very old, and perhaps is losing a bit of sanity. “Why haven’t I ever realized I talk to myself?” is showing how Santiago talks to himself out of pure loneliness. "He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach." (25) The lion referenced obviously represents something inside of Santiago that is calling to him, but this quote does suggest that he may be a little tweaked in his head.

After Santiago conquers the great marlin, he must return to his home through the shark-infested bay. The marlin has pulled him out far, and he must let the fish hang from the side of his skiff, letting off a trail any shark within 100 miles could track. Santiago knows this and is prepared to defend his fish mentally, if not with proper weapons. For over a day, dozens of sharks attack his fish, each taking a large chunk from his prize. Santiago boldly defends it with what little he has, but by the time he returns, the fish is nothing more than a skeleton. “’They beat me, Manolin,’ he said. ‘They truly beat me’” (124) is the quote that shows Santiago knows he has lost, and is finally able to admit it after the great fights with the sharks.

Santiago faces many perils and struggles throughout Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He battles the greatest marlin ever seen for three straight days, defends it from dozens of sharks, and battles turmoil within himself. His struggles were great, but the profit nothing. For Santiago, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey” is taken to an all time high.

By Max H.

In The Old Man and the Sea, there are many choices that Santiago must make that affect the outcome of his battle with the great marlin and ultimately his life. When Santiago chooses to stay with the fish and continue deep into the sea he is weakened and clearly out of his league, being so ill supplied. After making his decision, Santiago soon runs short of food and must catch multiple smaller fish to stay alive and competing with the marlin. The old man becomes weak and tired from so many days out on the sea, and fears the possibility that he’ll fall into a state of madness. Santiago is also physically disadvantaged after staying out on the sea for so long when he is cut by the fishing line and his hands betray him by “no longer working”.

Santiago is first affected by his choice to stay with the fish when his food is all eaten. Knowing he will become incredibly weak, loose his amazing fish, and eventually die of starvation, Santiago looks to catch smaller fish to eat. The old man clearly shows his desperation for food and his incredible tiredness when he says aloud to the marlin, “You’re feeling it now fish, and so, God knows, am I” (56). This quote explains in as little words as possible that Santiago is being run down in his incessant battle with the fish, and needs as much energy as he can acquire.

Evidently, the old man faces great weakness and mental instability after his time on the sea. Santiago is aware of his critical state but knows he must continue if he wishes to live. Santiago explains his need for sleep and to overcome some of his weakness when he says to the fish “Now let me get through the eating of this s dolphin and get some rest and a little sleep” (79). This quote perfectly describes how the old man is literally asking the marlin for a small break, so he can later continue to fight the fish for his life.

One of the old man’s biggest problems after continuing out on the sea is the physical issues with his hands. Santiago has somewhat of a relationship with his hands in that he keeps them healthy and they stay strong and don’t betray him. His relation with his hands is shown in the quotes “Be patient hand, I do this for you” (59) and also, “How do you feel hand, I’ll eat some more for you” (58, 59). Santiago explains how he will soon eat so his hands can benefit from the food and keep themselves strong. Soon after the old man’s hand is cut by the fishing line, it also deceives him by cramping. He responds by scolding his hand in the quote, “What kind of hand is that, cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good” (58).

Incontestably, Santiago’s decision to stay with the great marlin and travel far out into the sea affected his battle with the fish and his life. A shortage of food, weakness on the verge of madness, and physical disadvantages followed Santiago’s decision. The old man soon realized the consequences of his actions but had a ceaseless drive to beat the marlin in an unimaginable battle for life.

By Kylie L.

Everyone makes choices that could have good or bad consequences. In Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the old man, makes many choices that could have turned out much differently had he made other decisions. The biggest mistakes that Santiago made was not bringing the boy, Manolin, along with him, letting the fish drag him too far out to sea, and expecting to much of his good luck.

One big mistake in his choices was to not bring Manolin along with him out to sea. If he did Santiago wouldn’t be tired all the time because of the hassle of trying to hold on to the marlin all day and night. With the boy along with him, Santiago wouldn’t be as tired as he was alone because they could take turns holding the fishing line: “I [Santiago] wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this” (48). I think that with Manolin’s help Santiago could have brought the fish in a lot sooner and he wouldn’t have lost the marlin to the malicious sharks. Or if they couldn’t have brought the fish in in less time then the old man did alone, Manolin still could have helped catch the little fish so that Santiago wouldn’t have had to catch little fish while holding onto the marlin.

Another blunder Santiago made was letting the marlin tow him too far out to sea. Santiago knew what he was getting into by going far out and then having to travel all the way back to land with a dead fish. The chances of hungry sharks after his fish were high after the blood of its killing. After the first shark came he knew right away that “there would be others” (103) and that his chances of getting home with a good amount of tuna were slim.

The biggest mistake Santiago made was having too much confidence. He kept thinking that because he was on an unlucky streak that he would catch a big fish and finally get his luck back to normal. At one point he even got carried away of how much good fortune the fish would bring him: “He’s over fifteen hundred pounds the way he is, he thought. Maybe much more. If he dresses out two-thirds of that at thirty cents a pound? ‘I need a pencil for that,’ he said” (97). And once the first shark came he knew that all his hard work was for nothing.

If Santiago took some different actions throughout the book he probably could have caught the marlin within less time and a lot less effort than it took for him to do it alone. If he brought the boy he could have caught the fish sooner and wouldn’t have been as tired, if he did let the fish drag him out to sea he could have made it back to land before sharks came, and if he didn’t have so much confidence he wouldn’t have been expecting as much from his efforts. Every choice has good or bad consequences and Santiago made some bad choices that caused him a great deal of effort, his marlin, and almost his life.

By Kieran B.

In the novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago, the main character makes many choices that all lead to different consequences. Santiago sets out on a trip to catch some fish but it ends up being a long battle with a marlin. Santiago takes some very serious risks while he is out at sea. While he is out there he is punished cruelly for his actions. Hemingway fully describes Santiago’s choices and how afterwards he lives with the consequences.

Santiago made many choices while at sea and before he went to sea. A few examples of choices that he made are: deciding to bring food on the trip, to even go fishing, to hook the marlin and to even love to fish in the first place. After every one of these events, Santiago paid in some way. It is just like cause and effect. The cause is the action (choice) and the effect is the consequence. One really big choice for Santiago was if he should or shouldn’t bring Manolin (a young friend of his) on the fishing trip with him. Manolin’s father ends up not letting him go.

The biggest and greatest decision of all that is posed in The Old Man and the Sea is: Should Santiago even have hooked the marlin in the first place? “It was noon when I hooked him, “he said. “And I have never seen him”(47). This quote proves that Santiago has been fishing a while with no luck because in previous pages Hemingway states it had been 84 days since his last catch. So, I think this is why he went through the trouble (consequences) of trying to catch the marlin because he really didn’t want to go home empty handed. Nevertheless, when he did arrive home, he didn’t have anything other than a fish carcass. The reason is because on his way back home the marlin was bleeding so badly that every shark that smelled it took a chunk of marlin only to be killed by Santiago himself.

As the author clearly states, Santiago has never seen the fish he has hooked. Hemingway describes the marlin’s beauty and such on pages 90-94. “No,” he said. “He can’t be that big”(90). Santiago is shocked at the size of the fish he has hooked. He is not sure what he has gotten himself into. This is the consequence for Santiago’s action earlier on. If Santiago had never caught the marlin in the first place than he would never have to deal with all the consequences afterwards.

In the end Santiago returns home to meet Manolin who assists the old man to recovery. “I’ll bring food and the papers, “the boy said. “Rest well, old man. I will bring stuff from the drugstore for your hands”(126).This proves that the old man went through some serous consequences just to come back home empty handed. Santiago’s hands were badly injured from holding the line the fish was on which was one of many consequences that the old man received on the trip.

By Katie S.

Often in works of writing, an individual struggles against powerful obstacles that affect him significantly. Such is the case in the compelling novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Manolin, the boy in the story, comes face to face with difficult impediments. He is torn between his duty to his parents, his love for Santiago, the main protagonist in the novella, and his unwillingness to believe that Santiago must be dead after three days at sea. Being a boy of a young age, he has difficulty juggling all of his mixed feelings and ideas.

Manolin wants to fish with Santiago, but his parents have forbidden it. After 40 days without a fish, his parents were convinced, "that the old man was now definitely and finally salao" (9). They put him on another boat that caught three fish in the first week. He even tells the old man, "I could go with you again. We’ve made some money" (10) showing his desire to fish with the man who taught him how to fish. I think this might also have something to do with the way the old man feels about the sea. Most of the younger fishermen think of it as el mar, something masculine to compete against. Santiago thinks of the sea as la mar, as a woman. He believes that she is, "something that gave or withheld great favors" (30). This might affect Manolin because he believes one thing while his superiors believe another. He doesn’t know what to do. He knows the old man is right, but he can’t disagree with the men he is fishing with.

The boy has been with Santiago since he was five. When they fish, they probably spend a large amount of their time talking. It must get boring out there with nothing to do but wait. They know each other very well. The boy is "sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty" (9), he wishes that there were more he could do for him. As it is, Manolin is feeding him and buying him bait to try and help him get that fish. The boy understands that Santiago does still have some pride and allows "this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too"(16). After a long day fishing, they talk baseball. The boy has unrelenting faith in the old man: "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only one you" (23), he gets the way the old man fishes. Hardly anyone fishes the old fashioned way anymore. They have buoys and motorboats. The old man uses his skill and strength and that iswhy Manolin loves and admires him.

After Santiago has been gone for three days at sea, everyone has given up. It is common knowledge that a fisherman’s life is dangerous. The boy, however, refuses to give up. Every evening "he waits and watches for an old man rowing a dilapidated skiff towing the biggest marlin ever seen" (131). His faith in Santiago never wavers for a second. His parents, on the other hand, are trying to brace him for the inevitable; when the time comes that the Coast Guard does bring in a piece of skiff or the man’s body. This causes a rift in their relationship "Manolin couldn’t understand his parents’ doubt. Didn’t they know that Santiago was the greatest fisherman ever?" (148). This point in the story could be considered a second climax. It is the point where Manolin’s duty and love head-butt each other and he has to choose between them.

It is strenuous for a youth such as Manolin to keep all of his mingled consciousness and concepts straight. He knows that his obligation is to his parents, but at the same time he feels that Santiago is a shrewd grandfather figure who deserves just as much respect as his parents. Manolin also keeps faith that Santiago will return alive, unlike everyone else who writes him off as deceased. Manolin’s internal conflicts can be felt throughout the story. Ernest Hemingway did a marvelous job finding a way to give Manolin a voice, no matter how small the voice.

By Jacob P.

In the captivating novella, The Old Man and the Sea, author Ernest Hemingway creates an astute character by the name of Santiago. Santiago is what most people call and old man, and thus is referred to as one, hence the books title. Like all protagonists however, Santiago faces different obstacles throughout the book. They cast a strenuous task on his physical abilities, as well as his mental. Santiago’s challenges include; coming to terms with his old age, keeping his sanity while at sea alone, and surviving under harsh conditions of a fisherman. Thus you could say since these problems derive from the sea, that the sea is Santiago's biggest obstacle.

Santiago was and always will be a man of the sea. In his youth he was a respected man, with a plethora of energy. He had once been in an arm wrestling contest for two days straight. However, time has taken a toll on his body and he is not quite what he used to be. This is a serious problem for Santiago as must fish to make a living. Throughout his days at sea he physically becomes weaker and he must eventually accept his dilemma. He is an old man who has been weakened by time and his fishing will never be as successful as it once was, as long as he does it alone. One of the biggest problems he faces is that his left hand, which is vital for fishing, becomes cramped. "...his left hand was cramped...' "What kind of hand is that, cramp then, if you want to." ' " (58) Santiago, despite the truth, brushes it off until he goes without sleep and realizes the threat of his old body at sea.

Another obstacle Santiago must obliterate is that he must maintain his sanity out at sea. Every day his is out there with that one fish, his mind grows wearier. Santiago is constantly forced to substitute inanimate objects for real beings to shadow his loneliness. For instance he talks to his cramped hand often, ' " Be patient hand, I do this for you." ' (59) As well as his hand Santiago also talks to himself in the "second person", where he replaces the word "I" for "You". ' "You better be fearless and confident in yourself old man," ' (84) However unhealthy it may seem, it does good for him, as he does not have to be completely alone at sea. Doing things such as these help him forget that he is the only one out there, and he has no help at all. Santiago is forced to do such things to keep sane. For if he had lack of sanity, his fishing would be more dangerous than it is. He would become unclear in the head, and maybe make devastating mistakes that could cost him his life.

Santiago's other big problem is that he is in a small skiff alone, with minimal supplies, and he must survive the sea. Foolishly he has taken few foodstuffs and water and becomes malnourished. Santiago has enough nourishment to keep alive, but his health decreases as he just has the bare minimum of food, and is running out. He has also not packed any form of first-aid, and faces a lacerated and cramped hand due for possible infection. Of course when under these conditions you must stay alert to protect yourself. However, Santiago says, “If [I] do not sleep [I] might become unclear in the head.” (77) Santiago has it bad enough, but the fact that he devises a way to sleep vastly increases the threat to his life. While asleep, the marlin he hooked could do any number of things such as change directions in the night, and Santiago might not know which way to turn back home.

Santiago faces all of these challenges from one source, the sea. Thus you could reason that Santiago’s obstacle is the Sea, and within it are sub-obstacles that he faces. All of the difficulties except for his age however, are derived from the sea. (His hand cramps and lacerations, his sanity and malnourishment.) Santiago faces difficulties like all characters but because the thing which torments him is also the same thing he needs to live, it makes his dilemma rather original.

By Connie F.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is one of those books that have more than one central idea. It contains many messages it tries to get across through the main character, an old man named Santiago. Themes of courage, pride, and defeat are woven throughout the novella. However, the theme from the novella that I thought was strongest was that man can be destroyed but not defeated. In other words, a person can be ruined or spoiled, but not beaten. Examples of this occur in the very beginning, when the sharks devour the marlin, and when the man comes home at the end.

This theme is introduced at the very beginning of The Old Man and the Sea. In the very first sentence of the book Hemingway tells us “[Santiago] had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (9). This allows us to infer that his luck has been ruined. We are further assured of this fact when we are told, “many made fun of the old man…others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad” (11). Many men would be extremely discouraged by this and would just give up hope altogether. They wouldn’t even try to fish any longer. However, Santiago will not accept the fact that he has been destroyed and is determined to continue trying to make a catch. ‘The boy’ who encourages him to believe in himself and continue fishing also helps him along. Because Santiago continues fishing he is not defeated; he still loves to fish and has a passion. He has not been beaten.

Another example of this theme is when the sharks begin to eat his great marlin. In fact, this is the part of the story when the theme is quoted. The sharks slowly steal the profit of Santiago’s suffering with each bite they take out of the marlin. They spoiled Santiago’s three days and endless effort put into catching the fish. Yet, he continues home and busies himself with thoughts of baseball. He refuses to stop, and always looks on the bright side of things. Indeed he convinces himself that at least “she’s [the fish] much lighter now” (111). He’s not defeated; he musters up the courage and determination to return home. His determination and courage keeps him from being beaten or conquered.

Upon arriving home the harsh reality of daylight reveals the fact that nothing of the fish is left except the head, the tail, and the spine. The loss of his fish destroys the old man; all the effort he’s put into the fish is worthless. The great marlin that was such a catch had been completely demolished by the sharks and was not fit to be eaten or sold. At this point the old man loses all hope. He would have been defeated, but upon arriving home he is consoled by the boy, who still has faith in him: “He didn’t beat you, not the fish” (125), the boy says. Because a person still looks up to him he cannot truly have been defeated. He still has a purpose and a will to live.

This theme can easily tie into any life. You may seem destroyed in the eyes of some, but you will never be defeated unless you feel so. The many messages of the book all tie into the main theme; man can be destroyed but not defeated. This is demonstrated by the example at the beginning of the book, when the sharks eat the fish, and when the man returns home. We know pride can be slashed and courage can waiver, but defeat will never come if there is still a tiny spark of hope or will to continue living and fighting.

As Simple as Untitled by Alyssa M.

She put her makeup on and looked at herself closer in the mirror.

Her face was still a little bruised, just on the cheekbones that stuck out in
her flesh. She smiled, and, with a slow graceful movement, pushed aside all
that was on her dresser, and sat on it.

Her frail figure didn't have any impact on the furniture, and sometimes she had wished it would. Regan counted the seconds until she would hear her father hustle up the stairs, and slam his fist into her door, demanding to be let in.

It happened every morning before she went to school. She could almost set a clock by it. The only time that she was left alone to prepare herself for high school, were the mornings where her father had blacked out from drinking. Some days he was sleeping until she got home from school. But that rarely ever happened, and it caused Regan great anxiety.

It was the middle of April, warm weather, but yet, it was so dark that
she needed the light of her room on, at 7:00 a.m. Her figure rested gently on the dresser, with her long legs hanging down almost on the floor. Regan closed her eyes.

'Thump thump thump.'

"Oh sh*t" Regan said to herself, as her father stormed in the room,
with boots on and a flannel tank top. He was no more than 5 feet and 9
inches, but he was all muscle. Even Regan, who stood 6 feet and 2 inches had no chance against him. Her bone structure was small, and she might have weighed 130 lbs.

Regan's father grabbed Regans short black hair, and pulled. She
spiraled to the floor, legs spread out under her, arms folded in close. It reminded her father of a broken baby deer. It hurt him to see her in pain and discomfort, but he brushed the sorrow away, and kept harassing his daughter.

He was mad that she never stuck up for herself. She had always just let him push her around. Ever since Regan's mother died, she just kept to herself, and never tried to help herself. Her father noticed the marks and scars on her rms and hips, but never said anything. He was just confused as to what was going on.

Regan didn't cry. She just stared back up at the man who had loved her
for all her life, but yet beat her and made her bleed. Her brown eyes
looked black against her white skin, and her lips took the shape of a heart,
small and pink and faded. The black hair that hung just above her shoulders looked frizzy and broken, although she had just straightened it. Her collar bones stuck out on her chest, and the small patter of her breathing seemed to get faster and deeper. The look in her fathers eyes was fierce, a strong passion of confusion and hatred and loss. Time seemed to get slower, and the lights still glowed a deep red like at an opera. It was Thursday, and Regan would be late for school if she didn't hurry.

'I love you' her father said.

He closed his eyes, and walked away. She just sat there. Not looking.
Not thinking. Not seeing. Not hearing. She couldn't taste any blood in her
mouth. Nor see any on her body, although she had felt like she had just
been stabbed. It felt scratchy in her throat, and she could feel every
movement that occurred between her ribs. She got up and got her car keys and put on her boots and walked out the door. She didn't say goodbye to her father. Just walked out and locked the door behind her.

She was a senior in high school. She had a job at the local restaurant,
a great group of friends, many scholarships, and she was someone that
people wanted to know. Regan put the key in the truck ignition and pressed the gas pedal. She sped off to school, arriving just in time for the second
bell. She went to the bathroom before first class to fix her makeup and make sure she had no apparent bruises at the moment.

She lifted up the corner of her shirt, making sure no one was around,
to look at the cuts on her hips that had been put there the the previous
night. In a second, a freshmen walked in. She noticed the marks on Regan's
body, snickered, and walked away. Regan felt herself turn red, and she walked into a stall and waited for the girl to leave. It took a while, but
eventually the girl left, and Regan walked out into the middle of the bathroom. By now, she was late for class and decided to just leave school. She could use a drive, and missing one day of school wouldn't hurt her record. She waited until the bell rang, and while everyone was in their routine, she walked out the door.

Feeling excited, she skipped to her car, smiling, laughing, breathing
heavily and nervous like she had just robbed a bank. She got in the
truck and put her seatbelt on. That was a first for her, since she always
hoped that she would get ejected through the windshield if she had gotten
into an accident. Not today. Her father couldn't could ruin any other day but today. She got onto the highway, as if to go to the ocean. She turned up the radio, and sung to her current favorite pop song.

She noticed a small blue car weaving on either side of the road. It was
quite a way ahead of her, so she payed no attention, and there were no
cars near it. She picked up her chapstick, and just as she applied it, she
noticed the blue car stop. And turn around. And head straight for her.
She was scared, but there was another lane, and she decided she would just
head into the other lane and get off at an exit.

The car got closer, it seemed to be picking up speed, and then, nothing
happened.Time stopped. The sky of 9 a.m. got dark. Wait, no, that wasn't the sky. That was just the fear of dying.

She looked at herself in the hospital. Old, worn, frail, slender. She
ate so much, why was her body so small? Her feet hung off the hospital bed.

Her friends were there. Looking at her. Holding her hands. Crying. They all
had balloons for her, tied around the bed rail. She knew she was dying. She
watched the doctors take her body into another room. She just walked
alongnext to her physical self. Her father was there, in the room. He was in
handcuffs. He held his head down and Regan thought she saw him crying.

No.

It couldn't be. Her father was crying over Regan.
Her fingers now had small clamps on them. They didn't look painful,
just annoying, and loose-fitting.

Her body felt uncomfortable. She felt like she was shrinking. She
climbed back in her body and folded her hands across her stomach. She didn't want to die this way. She didn't want to die at all.

Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here by Hillary L.

I stood in the intensive care unit, looking at my lifeless body lying on the stretcher in the white room. The doctors and their nurses were moving about the room, stuck in fast forward, as they went from evaluations, to tests, to medications to keep me breathing. Inhale. Exhale. The heart monitor thumped slowly, and after every thump, I was sure it would stop. Where I stood in obscurity, they seemed to not see me, as if I was a figment of my own imagination, and I was. I walked out of the unit, and went to the waiting room. There, I saw my family; they were lifeless as I was, with their clouded eyes, and sorrowful expressions. My mother was weeping silently into my father’s shoulder.

The heavy rain beat down on my new car; I thought the rain was going to dent its new frame. The sky was black, and I could see the moon straining to shine behind the ominous rain clouds. I pulled over on the side of the road, because my thoughts were intoxicating me, making my driving ability impaired. Arriving somewhere, but not here. I felt outraged towards my mother all the times we fought over little nothings. She was my reason for leaving. I just needed to let go of my breath I’ve been holding for so long. Exhale. My resting body jumped out of the driver’s seat, and I felt a violent pain shoot through my bones. I was hit.

My life flashed before me. I saw everything I loved, or had cherished throughout my years. It was as though all the old home movies we took at all the important occasions were playing back in my mind. I knew then that I was scared that I was going to die, but I wasn’t ready. My mind screamed for help, but my mouth couldn’t omit a sound. I struggled to hold onto my place on this earth, but got increasingly tired, and lost my consciousness.


My body was drawn to the site of the accident. Police cars lined up at the crash site and were looking over the wreckage. My skin sent a message to my body asking, ‘ever have the feeling you’ve been here before?’ The ground was glittered with a thousand pieces of broken glass. I saw a crimson color stain the grass and pavement underneath my feet, and I felt weak and cold. Another pull on my invisible bones dragged me back to the dreary white hospital. I was ready to come back. I opened up my eyes and sat up, I didn’t want these doctors poking me with their instruments, I wanted to be left alone, I wanted to sleep, I wanted to go home.


The last thing I knew before I faded out was a song. It was quiet and consistently grew louder. Instrumental pieces calming me, warming my deathly cold body, and I knew I was where I belonged, and I had arrived just on time.

The Perfect Match by Morgan D.

Today was a big day for both Lisa and Marc. Neither Marc nor Lisa knew anything about each other or have ever met. They had two main similarities; each were leaving their European soccer clubs to go home for Christmas with their families. They were rushing through the London airport expecting to make their flights to Boston.

Marc was a 23 year-old professional soccer player from North Boston. He left his college and family when he was 19 to go to England, where he was given a spot on the New Castle United FC. This was his second consecutive year as a strong force of the offensive line. There was more to Marc’s life then his soccer career. He was highly intelligent and had a great sense of humor. He was very family oriented and blessed with the good looks of his parents. He was a dark tan, in shape, and an eligible bachelor.

Lisa lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She too was a professional player in Europe that was given the opportunity of a life time to play there. She was playing for a newly developed New Castle woman’s team. This was her first year playing and her first year away from home. Lisa lived with her father and her two older brothers in a tightly nit family on the shore. Lisa was 5”7” with dark brown hair and a models body. She was 20 years-old, and smarter than most. She had an outgoing personality that no one could turn down.

It was already 9:00am and her 9:10 flight was boarding. Her taxi was late to pick her up so she carried her luggage along running down through the airport. She knew that this flight was the only flight home for the next month. She was anxious to get home to spend the holidays with her family. As she got to the gate, the door was closing. She ran down the hallway and made it on the plane. Now she looked stressed and tired, ready to collapse. She rambled through the plane to find her seat. When she sat down she passed out.

It was the squeaky noise of the food cart strolling by that woke her. The guy in the next seat over helped her figure out what was going on. She didn’t care about what he was saying. All she could do was stare into his dark blue eyes and wander. He was beautiful. He was even wearing a New Castle warm up, just like hers. Conversation started and never stopped.

When the flight landed both Lisa and Marc walked out into the airport terminal. When Lisa saw the board saying that rt. 95 was closed due to a snowy blizzard, she was startled. She had nowhere to go and it was Christmas Eve. She wouldn’t be able to go home for 2 days and she had nowhere to stay. Hand in hand, Lisa looked up to Marc. Marc smiled and was happy to offer her a place to stay with his family. After all they got to know each other quite well over a 12 hour plane flight.

Marc got a taxi and Lisa got in. Together they cruised the streets of Boston to Marc’s house. After one night with his family, everything seemed so right. His family was just like hers and very comforting. She felt at home. Lisa and Marc had identical personalities and loving families. After Christmas, Lisa invited Marc to meet her dad and brother. Her family loved him. They loved who she was with him and they loved seeing them together.

After realizing their living situations, they both flew back to England and continued playing soccer for New Castle. The next Christmas, their families went to England. During conversation, Lisa’s brother brought up the fact that Marc and Lisa were so close to each other at New Castle and yet they had never met. The fact that it took a 12-hour plane ride home to Boston and an unexpected blizzard to find each other made everyone laugh.

When Marc found the rare connection between the two of them, and looked back on the past year and how everything evolved, he asked her to marry him. Together everything worked out. They were both soccer players living in England playing for the same club, their families meshed well, and together they were happy.

The Ordnance by Patrick D.

Date: January 15, 2036
I will be keeping a log of the next year; it will be short and to the point. I am Jansen, leader of The Ordnance. It has been 1 month after the apocalypse, more commonly, The Judgment. World War III destroyed nearly half the population, and major civilizations. Waste from the war has turned the climate deathly hot, and the sky has been turned a dim, hazel red. During The Judgment, I and a few dozen of my… group managed to escape to London from our jail cells. We are strong, smart and merciless; we were soon able to form one of the three Factions, The Ordnance, made up of a few hundred former strong willed citizens. The Drudge, the barbarous, vigilant group of rogues, by far the largest and most destructive, The Ascendancy, the smallest of the three, and lesser known, and try to stay away from the constant anarchy and battle, and stay to the surrounding cities, and finally us, The Ordnance, just trying to stay alive, which can be hard based on the lack of resources and constant murderous raids of Drudgies, as we call them.

Date: January 29, 2036
Constant skirmishes are now beginning to grow into conflicts with The Drudge. The Drudge is beginning to grow in power and people, but so are we, as Ascendants are drifting to our side.

Date: March 4, 2036
One of my former inmates was executed for suspicion to helping The Drudge today. I did it myself, and sent shockwaves through the hundreds of onlookers in the area. I will not have a possible revolt against me at all costs. The Drudge is becoming more ruthless; stories are coming in from Ascendants that Drudgies are taking up cannibalism.

Date: April 22, 2036
Two days ago marked the first major battle with two other factions. A food supply was found in the center of London, and naturally all wanted in. Supplies were done to less than a month, and we could not survive without food. It was a bloody scene, dozens were slain, but we managed to take control of the center of London. The Catholic Church was destroyed after months of abuse from skirmishes. Only one brass Cross managed to survive, and we are now keeping it in one the office buildings The Ordnance’s newfound headquarters.

Date: April 25, 2036
We have built a huge wall around about 6 miles of area. Order is being restored, at least in our faction; things seem to have become worse outside the walls.


Date: April 27, 2036
I cannot stay long; Ascendants are beginning to pour into the streets. The Drudge and Ascendancy seemed to have joined together to destroy us, but we are holding strong for now. Two of our new council leaders were killed in a suicide bombing. We seem to outnumber them by far, which is a surprise, based on the sheer amounts they must have when combined. God pray they are not planning something larger.

Date: July 5, 2036
It is unmorally hot now that summer has rolled in, but spirits have been raised because of the sudden peace within the walls. Raids on the wall have been minimal, and the response last month by the two factions was quickly eliminated, but it is still jarring to know those two joined to destroy us… The people of The Ordnance try not to the think of it anymore. We try to maintain high morale by placing the Cross outside our headquarters, our new symbol of hope.

Date: July 20, 2036
We have made a scout team of elite former marines of the Queen; they are being sent out of the walls as I speak. No one has set foot out of the walls since they were built, and the people are becoming restless.

Date: July 22, 2036
Hundreds now pray at our huge cross. It has become the Ordnance’s new emblem. Most of the people have settled down, and a tailoring factory was found, which is currently making uniforms for our small militia, which will bear the brass cross. Skirmishes are coming closer to the wall, and the last thing I want is for us to be quite unaware.

Date: August 19, 2036
The scout team has come back with only 8 of the original 12 after about a month of staying out of the wall. They have reported scenes of death and chaos. Ascendants have come back into the city, and are now fighting a small war with Drudgies. The last thing they told us was how they lost the four men. They were caught spying on a group of higher Drudgies making plans to set a hellish raid on us, and the messages are becoming more violent.

Date: September 9, 2036
I write with pace, The Drudge has attacked with over a thousand; I can hear dozens outside our headquarters as I write. Our little militia could not fight this army; Drudgies have just been killing with no thought of self-protection. They have killed nearly all our civilians, and some militia men are taking a last stand in the headquarters.
The walls have been turned down, and I can see flames everywhere outside my window. Our brass cross was viciously torn down by a tank the Drudgies have decorated with human skulls. The messages are now depicting victory for the Drudge. Indeed, it seems like the end of The Ordnance. I can hear Drudgies storming the building a few floors below. Gunfire is echoing through the building. I cannot write much longer, they have gotten to the second floor.
I look outside to where our cross was, to where our hope of a new life, where our dreams, hope and future were. Drudgies are banging on the door to my room. I will fight to molest moments. They have broken through. Good-bye.

Running Short of Irish Luck by Max H.

“Upsurge ahead!” screamed Jack McFarland.

A rugged sea captain around fifty years old, McFarland was an easy man to understand. Dedicated but stubborn were his biggest traits. Irish born, McFarland often fished off the Irish coast.

He gazed into the experienced eyes of his crew. Four men clenched their ships protrusions as a monstrous wave engulfed them and the ‘Old Maid’.

“All men accounted for!” first mate Scott Shimson yelled as the waves quieted and the ship began to settle. Grunts came from the three other crew members, Steve Shirley, and Matt and Jon Rider.

“Get used to it boys, there’s more trouble brewing once we near the coast.” McFarland chuckled.

Each crew member wondered why the skip would take the chance of nearing Ireland with such unlucky weather and the rocky reputation Ireland’s coast held. Becoming uneasy about his captains decision to continue on just so the crew wouldn’t lose some of their catch, first mate Shimson brought up the topic in the late hours of the day.

“Skip, I’m worried this idea of yours can lead us to bad outcomes. The coast can be very untrustworthy with weather like this and its deadly rocks.”

“It’s no secret Scotty, the ‘Old Maid’ isn’t in her prime anymore. I did the figuring and this catch could give us just enough money to hold ourselves up ‘til we find our bearings and get the Maid fixed up good.

The captain raised his head and looked dead into Shimson’s eyes.

“If we lose any of our catch, the price of our fish goes down and we won’t have enough money for the ship. It’s that simple.”

Getting up from his seat and raising his voice just enough for his crew on deck to hear, the captain said aloud, “We’ll sail to the Irish coast with no worries about the storm. The ‘Old Maid’ will live on if I have any Irish luck left in me!”

As night came the sea became choppy. All five men prepared themselves for the worst possibilities as the ship passed the first few indomitable rocks off the coast. The rain seemed to be as thick as glue and waves crashed along the ship, teasing its tired body from years of use.

Members of the crew began questioning where the coast actually was, when from the nest, Jon Rider was heard clear, “Light ahead! Light ahead! Due north Skipper! Right in front o’ our eyes!

The men on ship cheered and jumped, all seeing the lighthouse clearly, some four hundred yards away.

Dangerously sidetracked from the excitement, the crew paid no attention to the disaster they had placed themselves in. Steve Shirley was the first to notice but it was much too late. A cry was heard above the waves as the ‘Old Maid’ was treacherously smashed against an enormous coastal rock.

“Man over board!” Shimson barely finished while the right side of the ships hull was destroyed, sending the crew and debris to the sea.

By early morning the two Rider brothers and first mate Scott Shimson found their way onto the high point of the rock. Captain McFarland and Steve Shirley weren’t seen by day break.

Realizing they wouldn’t have much time before another storm and ultimately their death, the three men began to think up possibilities of how they would make it to the shore. Sitting close to the water, Matt Rider noticed the Maid’s anchor was wedged between a few rocks very close by, the rope still attached. He gathered the rope and brought it to the others who had quickly thought up a plan.

One man would have the rope tied around his waist and swim to the closest rock. The other two would hold the ropes end and make sure the man made it across. Once arriving at the rock, the order would reverse as the two men swam to him.

With the water relatively clam, this idea worked phenomenally. In a mere four hours of work, the men made it to Ireland’s shore. Scott Shimson, Jon Rider and Matt Rider lay on the cold beach of Ireland, remembering never again to test their Irish luck.

An Ice Cream Sunday by Connie F.

The sun bore down on the pavement surrounding the pool. Bare feet pounded on the cement and chased each other in circles. The town park was always busy on summer Sundays. Kids splashed in the pool, and a pick-up baseball game was going on in the field. A group of young ten-year-old girls sat in the shade of an umbrella, chattering away.

“My daddy’s getting me a doll for my birthday,” Christy bragged to her friends. “That’s better than any of your presents,” she said smugly. Her perfect golden ringlets bounced as she swung her head over to her father.

“Right Daddy? My present’s the best, right?”

Tracy watched the girls from the water. Usually being in the water and swimming alleviated all her worries, but right now she just wished she was back home and had never moved to a new town. Her plain features and southern accent didn’t fit in with these fancy girls and their rich clothing.

Tracy never wanted to move to begin with. Her parents had decided that farming was no longer a profitable business, and it was time to try their luck elsewhere. However, Tracy had had plenty of friends back home, but up here she couldn’t get these girls to like her. Christy and her cohorts refused to speak to her. Tracy had tried befriending them at the beginning of the summer, when they had first encountered each other at the town pool. She had greeted them with a wave and a huge grin on her face, and they just laughed and walked away. Their cruel nature had deterred Tracy from trying to make friends with anyone else at the pool. Now she just came to swim. Well, to swim and to see Charlie.

Right now Charlie was having a conversation with Christy. Actually, Christy was talking, and Charlie was looking longingly at the baseball field.

Charlie was only ten, but he knew he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees someday. There was absolutely no question about it. He practiced every day of the summer, and right now Christy was cutting into his practice time. He didn’t care about what doll Christy was going to get for her eleventh birthday. Now, if Tracey was talking to him it might be a different story. Charlie thought she was really interesting. She was unique, coming from some place far away. Plus, she actually seemed to really care about swimming, just how he cared about baseball. The best part; she wasn’t obsessed with a stupid doll. However, she didn’t seem even the slightest bit interested being friends with him. In fact, every time Charlie went over to talk to her she ducked underwater and swam away.

“My dolly’s going to have a lacy skirt and a red dress over it, and her hair will be tied up with a bow. It’ll be a pink bow. Actually, pink and white. Pink with white polka dots. Oh, and her hair is blonde just like mine…” Christy said, while batting her eyes at Charlie.
“Charlie,” she whined. “Are you even listening?”

“I think that your doll is very, um, interesting,” Charlie said, while staring over his shoulder into the pool where Tracy was treading water. “I have to go now,” he said, and walked as fast as he could over to the edge of the pool nearest to Tracy. As he approached she dove underwater and swam away. Slightly disappointed, Charlie decided to return to his baseball game.

Tracy wished Charlie wouldn’t come over. He was obviously good friends with Christy and her buddies, and it was clear that they were planning something. I mean, who couldn’t tell, with the amount of time he spent glancing over at her, and the speed at which Christy was talking. Those girls should just leave her alone. Tracy wasn’t going to let them make fun of her again.
The crack of a bat, the yell of ‘CANNONBALL!’ and the laughs of children made up the song of summer. An ice cream truck’s jingle added to the composition. Kids flocked to the truck, hoping for something to lessen the heat of the day. The baseball game was broken up, and even Christy and her friends raised themselves from their shady spot to go get some ice cream.

Tracy realized it was an opportunity to get out of the pool undisturbed and go home. She dried herself off and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, swung one leg over her bike, and began to pedal. She stopped at the sidewalk to wait for the ice cream truck to leave and for the flock of kids to diffuse. As soon as she stopped she realized it was a mistake. Christy and her friends menacingly approached her with their ice creams and vicious smiles.

“Oh, is the new girl too poor to buy an ice cream?” one of Christy’s friends teased.
“The farmer girl makes her own ice cream.” Christy replied. “She’s too good for our ice cream truck.’

“How does she make the ice cream?” Christy’s friend asked, playing along.

“From the cows.” Christy answered. “She’s good friends with the cows.”

Moos and giggles came from the group of girls.
“I think she is a cow!” called out one of the girls. “A big, ugly cow! Moooo!”
They walked back to the pool laughing, and left Tracy sitting on her bike, with tears in her eyes. This wasn’t fair! Tracy never did anything to hurt them; she had been as nice as possible. Why did they feel the need to be so nasty? And Charlie was coming over too. As if they hadn’t made enough fun of her for one day. Tracy hopped on the bike and pedaled as fast as she could.

“No, Tracy, wait!” Charlie called after her. “Tracy!” he yelled, and ran after her.
She stopped pedaling, and hopped off her bike.

“What do you want?” she said, with more coldness in her voice than she had meant.
“I, I mean I-,” Charlie faltered for a second, and then continued. “I just wanted to say that I think that it’s horrible how those girls are treating you, and that I don’t think you’re a cow at all. Actually, I think cows are kinda pretty. So I do think you’re a cow, because I think you’re really pretty. I mean, I don’t- oh, never mind.”

Tracy smiled in spite of herself. Encouraged, Charlie continued.

“Anyways, I like you a lot, and I want you to have this.” He offered his ice cream to Tracy. Now she was really smiling. Charlie actually meant what he was saying. Tracy took the ice cream.

“Thanks,” she said softly, and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed a vibrant shade of red.

“Ew, Charlie’s got cooties!” Charlie’s friends from the baseball team called from the sidewalk.

“Do not!” he said defiantly, and chased after his friends.

Tracy stayed by her bike and licked her ice cream cone. Maybe it wasn’t that bad living here. Maybe some people did like her enough to be her friend. She didn’t need everyone to love her, especially not Christy and her crowd. Tracy had a friend who liked her enough to buy her ice cream, and that was really all anyone could ask for.

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